


RACE TO THE BOTTOM

by KinkyLuthor



Category: Original character story - Fandom
Genre: Adventure, F/F, Fantasy, LGBTQ, Lesbians, M/M, cartoon, light Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:40:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26215798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KinkyLuthor/pseuds/KinkyLuthor
Summary: No moon landing , instead eachState raced to be the first at the bottom of the various body’s of water in the United States each team is a variety of kids who are trained for one thing , reaching the bottom of the ocean and claiming it for their state. Two teams of kids are chosen and participate in the “contest” but the consequences of losing might be more vicious than they could have ever thought.
Relationships: Honey | Koko
Comments: 5
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

Year; 1969 ( I just want to note that I wouldn’t call this a regular 1969 time frame so don’t think super oldanything really ) 

Setting; mid summer time , very grassy areas such as lots of trees and land,New York vs dc (not sure which city or if I’ll just do the capital) , a sort of 21st century look but more advanced than the things we have now 

Characters ;

Koko(co-co) - 18 , leader of the New York group , trained in sword handling and deep sea diving, black non binary who uses she/they pronouns , curly Afro , a very casual sense of style ( ie: jeans & a t shirt ) , bisexual 

Amiree(Uh-mer-ree )- 12 , he is the youngest of the New York group , he is trained in the art of escape ( ie ; he is an escape artist ) , cis mixed race , comicon type style ( ie: graphic T’s , etc ) 

Honey - 18 , the love interest to Koko , black cis lesbian , trained with weaponry like guns , she/ her pronouns , she trained along side Koko when they were still just young kids , the most stylish out of the New York team , very head strong and is often the “mom” of the group 

Riley - 15 , black trans male , gay , is the smarts of the group , graduated early top of his class , is transitioning during the show ( but has already started and is in the middle of it , so no deadname , etc stuff ) , he/him pronouns

Ethan - 19 leader of the Washington DC team , very cocky and independent, is trained in acrobatics and defensive fighting, might not be the best team player , mixed race ( or Hispanic still thinking ) cis straight male , is the oldest character in the series, he/him 

Aramis ( Air-uh-mis )-white cis female ,18 , pan sexual , co-leader , very friendly , trained in deep sea diving and protective services , head strong , knows a lot about her missions and team 

Samira ( Suh-Mir-uh ) - 15 , black non binary , very funny and smart , trained in lock picking and coding , they/them pronouns 

Nova ( No-v-uh ) - 16 , black Asian American, cis female , very focused , keeps the team grounded , trained in the art of evacuations, and hand to hand combat. 

“You know what needs to be done” a stern voice bounces off the mansions walls. Amiree fidgets in his seat unable to remain comfortable. They were being briefed on their newest and apparently most important mission yet. Amiree twiddled his fingers and caught the attention of his team mate honey who simply gave him a stern look that meant pay attention or else. Amiree quickly gulped and straightened his position in his chair , hands by his side.  
“You have been a team that accomplishes almost anything” the man took a pause , thinking about his next words “now you have a task that might be bigger than all of you. You four will be the first to reach the bottom of many bodies of water in the United States...IF you can beat the Washington DC team”. Honey didn’t like the idea of having to fight for power with the dc team again, she was sick of the competition and simply wanted to enjoy the last of her childhood years.  
Koko stood and cleared her throat calling attention to herself. “In all due respect sir , I am requesting to know the danger levels of this mission so that I can properly protect my team” she was dead still , her eyes locked to those of her superior. He grunted before turning his back to the group. “It is dangerous , and you must win. That is all I can tell you for now, but you will be updated for your missions daily” he turns back to face them once again “turn on your watches”. Instinctively the four click the side button on their watches and peer down at the hologram that pops up.  
“On your screens is your first check point is Niagara Falls. Head out and do NOT disappoint me”. They all stood at the same time saluting their boss and heading out single file, once they got behind the door Amiree let out a long sigh followed by the grunts of Riley.  
“I know” koko said without looking back “you guys are scared and so am I , but we have a mission and we can not fail”  
Honey placed her hand on the young leader's shoulders , she was losing it silently once again and she needed grounding that only Honey could provide for her.  
“It’ll be okay” she cooed in her ear “after all like he said , we are the best compiled team this country has ever known, this will be a breeze”. Koko knew this would be no breeze but still she was happy for the comfort and stability her teammate gave her, so she smiled despite her terrible gut feeling.  
“Your right.” She turns the hall and puts in her code at the door “to Niagara Falls then”.

The sun beat down on them as they exited the mansions walls. “How will we travel?” Riley said, already trying to think ahead. The group stood still for a second waiting for their leader to tell them what to do. Koko sighed and licked her lips in thought “we could do it on a boat , that way we’d already be on top of the water? Or we could take the four wheelers and set up security coded around the area to protect it from intruders while we search” she stopped herself “okay , so four wheelers”. Riley laughs “I’m glad you figured this one out yourself “ he says patting his older peer on the back. Koko growls back in response.  
“Okay you two we haven’t even officially started the mission yet and you two are already starting to bicker” Honey shakes her head while tapping in a location to her watch “let’s be a team today please” she says as she sends the locations to everyone. 

Koko starts to respond but quickly changes her mind not wanting to be mothered but today Honey today. “Alright code locked in” the other three say in unison. amiree lifts his watch to his mouth “code 1345 , four person mission , highest mileage and speed” he says. A noise in the distance starts to get louder and closer as they stand out in front of the mansion they call home. “Did you get the righ-“ amiree shook his head “no koko , don’t do that… I got it right, just wait”. Honey shoots Koko a nasty look. They had the tendency of over doing it with being the leader. They were always double checking and changing things around , and even though she didn’t mean too , sometimes she made her own team feel like they weren’t capable. She sighed , she couldn’t believe they had a whole group discussion about this just two weeks ago and she was already doing it again. “I’m sorry amiree , you are the youngest person ever to be on the New York team…. you are probably more capable than me” she bends down to his level and opens her arms “forgive me?” Amiree smiles “always” he says embracing his teammate.  
Riley and honey hold onto each other making faces and fake crying “it’s so beautiful” honey says mockingly followed by Riley wiping his fake tears wildly. Koko rolled their eyes just as soon as the four wheelers pulled up “very very funny guys…. now stop with the jokes and pick your four wheeler”

The four wheelers come to a complete stop , they have no drivers and are being automated for the time being. Riley walks up to the blue one and claims it for himself, next Amiree chooses the yellow one leaving only the orange and red for Honey or Koko. Koko looks at Honey and shrugs “you can pick first”. Honey turns to face Koko “actually can we talk? Privately?”. Koko nodes and they walk a little behind the mansion to get out of site.  
“What’s up?” Koko once they are completely behind the wall  
Honey steps into the space that separates them and plants a long kiss on the leader's lips. “Everyone needs a bit of luck”  
Koko smiles holding onto her face “Jesus honey , it never doesn’t feel insane when you kiss me”  
Honey smiles taking pleasure in the fact she had so much power over Koko “but seriously I think you should have a pep talk before this mission because the way our superior was talking …. this mission might be our last” she reaches out and holds Kokos arms.  
They nod squeezing their arm softly before letting go of her and going back to join the others .  
“I want everyone here to know that we have always been great as individuals but we are far better as a team. I have had the privilege of knowing you guys most of my life. Today we are starting a dangerous mission, but together we will overcome and win” she takes a seat on the red four wheeler placing her helmet on her head.  
“New York team , head out”


	2. Niagara Falls

Their first check point was Niagara Falls, which was very beneficial to them since they were the New York team, and Niagara Falls was within their knowledge having lived close enough to go to it if they had chosen to do so. 

“Waterfall coming up” Amiree said while he looked down at his tablet , allowing his four wheeler to self drive

“Would you please look at the road ahead of you?” Honey was aware that the four wheeler had a self driving feature but she never felt good about amiree using it to purposely lose his focus on the road.

“Sorry honey” Amiree clicked his tablet off and put it in the front compartment of his four wheeler before grabbing the handles. 

“Riley please give us a run down before we reach our check point” Koko gestured for everyone to stop their vehicles to make sure everyone was listening.

“Right, so “ Riley cleared his throat a bit , he wasn’t really found any form of public speaking or leadership roles “the check point is at the bottom of the water fall on the other side of it also …. we need someone to go down and claim the prize while we guard on land” 

He pauses and looks over the notes he scribbled down on his tablet while everyone was too busy worrying about Amiree not paying attention to the road.   
“According to my notes , out best bet is to to let koko do the diving and the rest of us stay up here and watch for the DC team”

Koko only sighs “of course it’s me , I’m basically like the BEST person on this team” she flexes her muscles and grins 

“Aw it’s stupid” honey chokes out while laughing sending the rest of the team besides Koko into a laughing fit 

“Rude” Koko spat at them   
“Oh calm down we know we wouldn’t be a good team without you.” Honey flashes a sincere smile at her partner and then turns to the others 

“Let’s split up and hide to see if we can catch anyone coming!” She turns back to Koko “and I hope you stay safe…. I love you” 

“I love you too honey” 

Koko turns towards the waterfall “ I knew I wore my deep diving suit for a reason “

They take a deep breath before peering over the edge and diving into the water. Their body in the air only for a moment before she hit the water. “Cold” was all they could think as they swam deeper. 

She clicks the side of her goggles and a map appears. They stop for only a second scanning the map quickly and then proceeds towards the bottom once more but at a different angle and direction.  
Out the corner of their eye they see something glowing that doesn’t seem like it belonged where it was. The director of their team always said not to be enticed and worried about flashy and interesting things , but still Koko couldn’t resist. She had to see what it was , and she was sure it was beneficial. 

They picked up the pace and reached the glowing object. It had a red color to it and she wasn’t sure that it was much more than a really colorful strange rock but still she slipped it into the pocket of her diving suit. They dug around in the sand just to make sure nothing else was hiding below and came out with a ruby necklace, perfectly unimpaired by the force of the water. They scanned the ground for anything else that seemed important but gave up rather quickly. If they needed to dive again they could but first she would need to check with Riley and see if what she had already found meant absolutely anything.

Once they reach the top she takes off her goggles and swims on the surface until she reaches land. Immediately she sees Riley pressed into a corner by Ethan. He turns around and chuckles to himself “well well well , it’s about time the so called leader of the New York team showed up”  
He makes a gesture with his fingers and the rest of his team come out from hiding with Honey and Amiree in hand. Honey struggles to get loose while Amiree just looks past Koko smirking. 

“Ya know” Ethan Continues “ it’s a quit actually bad leadership to leave your weakest links behind to defend your turf” 

Aramis seemed displeased that he would ever say that anyone was a ‘weak link’. Her respect for all life was shown in the way she scrunched up her face. 

“Cut the crap. If you went to fight , let’s fight.”   
Koko holds out their arm and waits until their sword comes to them. She’d have to thank Riley for figuring out how to put metal within her suits so her sword of choice would always come to her… as long as not too far away.   
She tightens her grip around her sword and charges at him full speed, Ethan stands in formation throwing a wide punch at Koko that she manages to duck but only after it’s already cut off a small piece of her hair.   
They growl “if there was ever one thing off limits it was my hair!” 

She sweeps under his feet with her sword before grabbing the tree branch that hung above her. She lifted herself and swung once hard , hitting Ethan directly in the chest and knocking him over.

She points the sword towards Nova , Samira and Aramis “ hand them over now …. be good kids” 

“DONT” Ethan screams finally able to bare the raging headache he had developed when his head hit the ground.   
Koko places her foot on the base of his chest and presses only lightly “ are you truly in the position to give demands?” 

“Now” they turn back to the rest of the team “hand them over or this sword will go right through his heart”   
Of course Koko had zero intention of actually doing that but still she wanted to strike fear into their hearts.

“Give them to her” Aramis says letting go of Honey

Honey growls and turns around to hit Aramis only for her hand to be caught mid air. 

“Aww I let you go don’t be nasty” she coo’s  
“My weapons” Honey hisses “where are they” 

Koko watches as Aramis pulls off her backpack and pulls out all their weapons.   
“Now before I give them back… give us what you found at the checkpoint” 

Honey turned around, pivoting her whole foot on Ethans chest , he let out a howl and struggled beneath them.   
“Are you insane?!” Koko shouted   
“Probably” Aramis shrugged causally and her teammates Samira and Nova laughed.  
“You can’t have it” This time Amiree chimed in 

“I’m sorry little boy who was talking to you?” Nova’s eyes were lacking any emotion and Amiree had to force himself not to break her gaze or back down. 

“Sigh” Aramis examines her nails for a second “ ether you leave with the check point item and no weapons or we leave with the checkpoint item and you leave with the weapons”

She pauses again once more looking down at her nails “this mission gets a lot harder at night with all the night creatures and the shadow creatures that lurk around after hours…. and we all know that even the best of us that are great at hand to hand combat can’t survive more than two nights without a weapon of some sort…… so it’s either you do what I asked or you basically wish death on you and your teammates. 

Honey swallows hard looking around at her teammates. She was right. They wouldn’t make it without weapons. No weapons meant mission fails , and a mission failed meant poverty and danger. For a second they thought about the old team New York who had failed more than a handful of missions and were sent out to live in poverty. The earth wasn’t the way it used to be, once the evil got in things changed… people changed. Being outside of head quarters meant danger , always.

“Ya know… it would be a real shame if you and what was it ….. Honey , never got to grow old together. Love stopped dead , because of a silly mission checkpoint prize” 

Koko takes the necklace out of her pocket and throws it at Aramis’s feet. She smiles as she picks it up.  
“See kitten …. that wasn’t so hard , now was it? “ she kicks the weapons over to Honey who quickly gathers them up.

“Oh and we are gonna need him too “ she points down at Ethan  
“Right” Koko lets their foot off Ethans chest , he scrambles to his feet, cursing under his breath.

“Hope to see you real soon , Koko” Aramis blows a kiss as she gets back on her bike 

“This isn’t over ….. “ Ethan points at Koko with hatred filled eyes

Once they leave Koko falls to the ground and cups her head in her hands. She lets out a loud sob and then rubs at her face.

“Love ….” honey drops to her knees and wraps her arms around them   
“I …. I’m a bad leader” she sobs louder, their entire body shaking with every sniffle.  
“No…. we weren’t paying attention.” 

“Yeah” Riley chimes in “if it wasn’t for you we probably would have been dead or robbed blind”   
Koko laughs at this and dries their tears. 

“You will always be the vest part of this team …. even if you are bossy” Amiree playfully hits Koko and they pull him into a hug 

“You’re bossy too kid”  
“I know” he says, letting himself feel comforted by the hug they were sharing.

“Now come on, our next checkpoint is ,... the Mississippi River” Riley says, looking down at his tablet. 

“Finally an actual road trip” Honey screams 

“Not a road trip , a mission” Koko corrects them 

“ yeah yeah yeah! Team head out !” Honey says jumping on her for wheeler and starting the engine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii so I finally wrote chapter two I hope it shows you guys a bit more about the characters and we brought in the other team. Also I want to work on making my chapters longer so pls any constructive cortisol is welcome


	3. A dream like no other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little background info on Koko in this chapter

Riley wiped his hand across his sweat dripped face and peered up into the sun.  
“How much longer” he groaned, scrunching his face into a frown.  
The weather had turned into a blistering heat that none of the team members could handle.  
“We still have 2 hours to go” Koko said as she kept her eyes straight toward the road.

She hadn’t gotten out of her head about what happened and Niagara Falls and even more so , they were sure the DC team was already at their next checkpoint. A sinking feeling of hatred hit the pit of her stomach and she frowned.  
“Love?” Honey eyes Koko up and down “maybe we should stop for 10 minutes?”

“PULL OVER? WHEN WE JUST GOT OUR ASSES HANDED TO US NOT EVEN SIX HOURS AGO” Koko screams 

“I -“ she places a hand over her mouth and finally takes her eyes off the road to look at Honey who has tears in her eyes. 

“Honey I’m so sorry”  
“You never yell at me … ever” she blinks away her tears and brings her attention to the road letting her four wheeler slow down a bit so that she is no longer up front beside Koko but I’m the back behind Riley. 

“You should be up front Amiree” she says her voice absent of her usually soft tone “it’s safer”  
Amiree thought about asking why or complaining but he could tell that now wasn’t the time or the place , so he simply did as he was told and sped up to catch his new spot next to Koko.

“So …” he says as he pulls up beside them “first time in the front. Exciting”  
Koko rolls her eyes and growls lowly “just keep your eyes on the road “  
Amiree shakes his head “oh yeah the front is where it’s at” 

They rode for an hour and thirty minutes before Koko finally decided a stop was more needed than before.  
“10 minutes that’s it. It’ll be dark by the time we get to our checkpoint so do everything you need now” Koko turns to face Riley and Amiree “that means bathroom breaks , water , food , sleep”

Riley groans “ all of that in ten minutes !? Are you crazy?”  
Koko laughs “insane actually…. if you want something prioritize it. TEN MINUTES” 

Riley and Amiree run off to do the things they want to do while Koko walks over to Honey who has her back against a tree and her eyes closed.  
“My love …” Koko sits down beside her  
“Oh? Now I’m your love?” Honey doesn’t bother to open her eyes.  
“You are always my love” Koko places her head on Honey’s lap “I’m so sorry for yelling” 

Honey opens her eyes and peers down at her girlfriend. She shakes her head and smiles “I know “ she says kissing Koko on the forehead.  
“I’m just so stressed .. a-and what if we don’t win this mission. We are goners. We are already no body’s”  
Honey's body tensed up as Koko said this. Her girlfriend was referring to how better of them had ever had parents. How by only hard work and determination were they allowed to be where they were. The true community they belonged too was the one on the outside , the one in the dark , the one where kids starved and murder wasn’t news worth, the one where things unseen and inhuman lurk in the shadows. Dead parents and nowhere else to go. Out there, was where they would go if they failed a mission like this.

“Don’t speak like that!” She hit Koko softly once she got out of her short funk “bad things happen but we will always have each other. In there or out here”  
“Promise?”  
“I promise” honey says as she leans down and plants a kiss on her lips 

“Ewwww!” Riley and Amiree point and say in unison.  
“I hope you guys are almost done because you only have 5 minutes left and unlike you two nerds I’m spending my last 5 minutes wisely” Koko smirks  
The boys look at each other and quickly run off again scrambling to figure out everything they needed to do.

Honey laughs as she watches them run around “close your eyes. I’ll watch them and I’ll wake you up in five”  
Koko just nods her head , as she dozed off to sleep. 

_______________________________________

Koko...

Koko…. Come to us 

Koko…. 

Koko….. Come to us 

Koko walks through a large forest , trees and branches hang down . They find themselves crawling over obstacles and pushing things out of their line of vision.

Koko … 

Koko …. Come to us 

She didn’t know where she was or how she had gotten there but she did know someone was calling her name. Someone that sounded strange but yet also like someone she knew very well. 

Koko…. 

Koko… Come to us 

“Where are you?! “ they begin to run through the forest not caring about the branches and plants that smacked them in their face as they went

“I can’t find you!” She stops and drops to her knees panting. The fear of the unknown was starting to creep into her brain bit by bit.  
“Where are you …. I can’t find you” she cries into her hands “ I can’t find you “ 

Koko ….  
Koko ….

“Please …. tell me where you are “ she sits on her bottom and brings her knees close to her chest “ I can’t find you” 

She closes her eyes and prays that this ends fast, when she opens them again she is standing in an old and raggedy building. The lights on the hallway flicker on and off and she watches as a rat runs across the floor.  
This time she knew where she was, but still just like the other time fear crept up in her heart. 

“You can’t do this! She’s just a kid! She needs us!” Yelling was coming from the door directly at the end of the hall. 

Koko walked towards the door , amplifying the voices that were already shouting. 

“Your daughter is special. How she was born to someone of your stature and class it’s unknown , but she is no longer yours” a man with a stern voice was speaking 

“But “ another man opened his mouth to say something but stopped.  
Koko opens the door and peers inside at the three armed men and their father and mother.

“We won’t let you take her” Koko’s mom, holds on tightly to the 4 year old version of Koko.

“You don’t have a choice, you know that nothing you says matters” he motions towards the other armed men “take the kid” 

Kokos mother and father try to fight the men but are quickly knocked in the head and tossed aside. One armed man picks up the four year old version of Koko and smiles at her “we are taking you to your other mommy’s house” he said.

He took Koko outside of the apartment doors , closing it behind him softly as if he didn’t want to disturb anyone.  
“Momma ….. “ four year old Koko cries and reaches out towards the door

There is one shot, followed by silence and then another shot followed by and even quieter silence.

“No more momma… “ the man says  
“But why?” Four year old Koko was confused and tears filled her eyes spilling over onto her cheeks  
“Because “ the man says “we can’t find momma or daddy anymore … they went away” 

Koko frowns and cries harder, laying her head on the armed man's chest as he walks outside and places her into the unmarked van. She looked out the window and up at the apartment complex tears still falling carelessly down her face. 

“I can’t find you … momma “ she says quietly. 

—————————————————————

“NO!” Koko Wakes up drenched in sweat, her head feeling like it was stomped on by an elephant. “HONEY!” She screams in a panic 

“Woah” honey rushes towards her side “I’m sorry for leaving you I didn’t think you’d be this upset love”  
Koko shakes their head “no no .. I just … I had a shitty bad dream”  
“As my poor baby” she hugs Koko tightly before handing her a bottle of water “drink up , it’s time to go” 

Koko downs the bottle of water in 4 large gulps and then places her helmet on before getting onto her four wheeler , the rest of the team follows her lead , no longer questioning what just happened and why she was so afraid of a dream. 

They ride for about thirty minutes before reaching their check point.  
“There it is guys … the Mississippi River”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I like haven’t posted any thing for this in months but I once again am back and appreciate any suggestions , comment or kudos you wanna give 💜


	4. First creature

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story picks up a bit as we find out what truly hides in the dark

The gang got off their four wheelers and hung their helmets on the handles before standing next to each other and peering into the darkness towards the water before them.

“Okay so everyone out these goggles on” Riley hands out google to each member before placing his own on and addressing the group once again 

“Please make sure you don’t have the pressure all the way up. I’m still working on this product” 

Koko nods “when it comes to technology you are the boss” 

Riley smiles to himself taking pride in any compliments that Koko gave. 

“Honey a review please ?”  
Honey clears her throat “we are looking at about 200 feet deep. Our watches say the checkpoint ‘prize’ is about 2 feet”

Honey pauses and takes a look around “but if that’s the case the prize would have to be floating maybe??” She turns to Riley who blinks in confusion   
“Maybe … that’s strange though is it not?” 

The wind blows and the night seems to howl , Koko clinches their fists and looks up into the sky , staring at nothing other than darkness , the moon and a few stars. She had made a grave mistake coming here at night, and she knew it.

“Maybe we sh-“ Koko was interrupted by a familiar voice 

“Well , well , we meet again” Ethan let’s out a low chuckle one that you’d hear from a long lost old friend “we gave you a head start …. and still we managed to catch up”

Koko didn’t have time for this , didn’t have time to fight. They had to be cautious and calculated. Yes the prize was of the utmost importance but so was them getting somewhere safe for the night. She looks at Ethan and the other members of his group and then turns to hers. 

“Honey and Riley go get what we came for and come back. Me and Amiree will hold these guys off. QUICK”

With our questioning why Honey and Riley run off to find the mission checkpoint prize while Koko and Amiree stay behind to fight. 

“Really” Ethan seems almost displeased “ well then it would seem that our dear Koko doesn’t want an epic team vs team battle , so …. Samira come with me , we are going after the prize. Aramis and Nova you know what to do” 

Aramis and Nova draw their weapons as Ethan and Samira run off.  
“You know I do love fighting you” Aramis smiles wide before running at Koko in full speed swinging at her legs forcing the leader to stumble over her feet.

“I can’t say the pleasure is the same” Koko swings her sword upward towards Aramis’s face as she stood to her feet

“You don’t have to lie!” Aramis runs for cover behind a tree and pulls out a small compact mirror and faces it outwards to see.

“Come out Aramis” Koko strains to see through the darkness even with the night vision goggles she had on 

Suddenly they feel a small pinch on their back , instinctively they turn around only to be greeted by both the weapons of Aramis and Nova.

“It would seem your young friend isn’t cut out for battle” Aramis gives her teammate a sinister grin “poor thing just ran off when nova confronted him”

Koko looked up into the trees “Maybe you should rethink that”

Out of nowhere Amiree drops from the trees holding two tasers in his hands. He crashes into both Aramis and Nova tasing them in their sides as soon as he made contact.

“You never count out the little guy” he says, patting off his shirt as he stands up.

“Great job” Koko quickly ties their hands and helps them to stand up. “Let’s go ‘team’”

“But Koko” Amiree has his hands on his waist “why don’t we leave them? They aren’t our problem”

Koko quickly turns to face Amiree anger and rage building in her subconscious mind.

“We don’t leave them because at night none of us are safe no matter what team we belong to” her eyes start to water “at night everything and everywhere is dangerous. Do you understand!”

Amiree only shakes his head. He was afraid , he knew nothing of any dangers outside of training class and he hadn’t been on any explicitly dangerous missions until now. He kept his mouth shut as they walked toward the checkpoint. Once they arrived they noticed that none of the members of either group were there.

“Where is everyone” Nova spoke first. “This is weird is it not??”

Koko bent down and looked at the water. It looked just like the darkness , nothing at all like water. A chill runs down her spine as she stays down into the water.

“Unite them Amiree” she says as she stands up

Instinctively Amiree does as he is told and untied the two girls. 

“Okay so I guess for now we are a team?” Aramis says offering a soft smile

“It would seem so” Koko sighs at the idea but is secretly relieved that it’s anyone other than Ethan himself. They weren’t sure if it was even possible to get along with that guy.

“Well I’m Aramis.. you might know that tho “  
“Yeah and I’m Nova” both the girls seemed rather nervous and suddenly out of their element.

“Amiree and Koko” the youngest speaks up for them both. 

“Okay enough introductions, we need to figure out what happened. We all stay together okay?” Koko looks around once more “We will trace this length of the river and then turn around and trace the other”

“Do not go more than 2-3 feet away from the group. Understood?” She looks at each person for reassurance, they all nod.   
“Okay let’s start looking for our friends”

They all spread out as far as possible and search for their friends. Amiree pokes at the water with a large stick he found, Nova and Aremis look through the bushes , Koko climbs up a tree trying to get a better view. To their dismay they all come up empty handed when they meet back up as planned.

“We can barely see in this darkness” Nova groans “it’s way thicker than the darkness we are used too” 

“Yeah, there is no way we will find them in this kind of darkness” Amiree kicks at the dirt around his feet 

Suddenly the wind blows harder and almost knocks the four off their feet. A low howl is heard by all of them and they quickly press their backs together. 

“What was that?!” Aramis croaked out  
“I think it’s what took our friends” Koko says with a lump as big as Texas stuck in her throat

“I-I think we should go guys” Amiree looks at Koko for instructions.

They quickly shake the fear off and look around before seeing the four wheelers

“Nice and Aramis you’ll have to borrow some rides” 

They all nod and quickly run towards the four wheelers. The sound of footsteps thump in their ears. Koko stops and points her sword outwards preparing herself for whatever might happen next. 

“KOKO!” Amiree screams out “COME ON!”   
Koko shakes her head and waves him off, her sword still pointed toward the darkness.   
Aramis grabs Amiree and throws him over her shoulder 

“I know you are worried but something is seriously not right here and you are too young to fight it “ she says this as she makes sure he is buckled in and has his helmet on, then she turns to watch Nova do the same before she gets onto her own four wheeler. 

“But Koko is too young too do this alone” Amiree whispers   
“Shhh and turn off your lights”   
“But”  
Aramis gives him a hard look and he does as he is told shutting off his light quickly. 

The wind stops and so does the footsteps, but still Koko doesn’t lower her sword. She can feel herself being watched , tracked , hunted. 

Something runs past her and on instinct she plunged her knife toward only to make contact with something standing beside her. A loud screech is let out and then a blast of light comes in from the corner. Nova , Amiree and Aramis had been waiting for the person to come close enough for them to shine a light on them. 

But the thing they looked back at was no human, instead it was a weird looking creature that stood almost 7 feet tall , it’s legs were backwards and it resembled that of a vampire and wolf mixed.   
Aramis let out a terrified yell and started up the engine of her four wheeler.

“Jesus Christ” was all Koko could manage to utter out before the creature started to swing at her , knocking her into a tree with a hard thud 

Koko reaches out her hand and her sword comes to her , she blocks the creatures as it comes down at her and manages to cut off one of its fingers. It stumbles back in pain and lets out a scream loud enough for the entire world to hear.  
The screaming doesn’t stop for another two minutes and that seemed off to Koko. Why would the creature spend this much tome howling in pain and not enough time attacking her. 

“HE IS CALLING FOR HELP!” Nova yells at Koko 

That’s it. He was calling for help, he had sent out a message. They now had targets on their backs , and all the creatures of the night were looking for them specifically. Quickly Koko runs past the creature and jumps onto her four wheeler and starts the engine.

“Let’s go!”

They race out into the darkness leaving the creature behind. The only light to guide their way shining from their rides. 

“Hey look at the church!” Amiree points to an abandoned church and they pull over to examine it.

The doors were locked together by a chain. Aramis quickly Broke the chain and let everyone in. They checked all the rooms and found it to be empty , nothing more than bibles and hymn books. They stack chairs and anything that isn’t nailed down in front of the doors and windows to make sure no one would get in while they slept and murder them. 

After they were done they laid on the pews out of breath and terrified of what waited for them outside those church doors. 

“Get some sleep. We are gonna need it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii I hope this story is getting atleast a bit interesting. Please leave comments , kudos , suggestions etc


	5. What’s in the water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan , honey , Samira and Riley have all vanished with out a trace. But what happens when you get what you wanted at the price of information you don’t want to know .

The sun shines through the windows and down on Koko’s face caking it in warmth. She groans and places her hand over her forehead as she lifts herself up from the hard church bench. Her head was killing her and she hadn’t exactly eaten anything since they’d left the mansion. 

She peeks over the pews at Nova and Amiree and notices that Aramis isn’t where they had left her last night. Quickly Koko stands up and walks around the church , she finds Aramis in the church's basement kitchen clutching a mug in her hands as if it was gonna break. 

She notices Koko approaching and smiles “this church must have been for shelter…. they have so many canned goods and other stuff in here” Aramis turns to the cabinet and pulls out another mug “they even have coffee” 

She quickly pours Koko a cup and sits it on the table. Koko smiles and picks it up , pressing the cup to her lips. The heat coming off the cup was enough to calm her nerves for the time being. 

“Koko I-“ Aramis plays with her fingers while she talks “I’m sorry for being mean to you”

Koko almost spits out her coffee “mean? We are on different teams it’s nothing personal”

Aramis nods her head “but that’s the thing….. it IS personal … but maybe right now isn’t the right time” 

She sighs and pulls out a piece of paper that was tucked in her back pocket. She lays it out on the table. 

“It’s a map” she says “of every checkpoint we are supposed to reach”

She scans the paper and then points to a single spot “this is where we lost our friends” 

Koko points to another part of the map “and all the way over here is where we need to be within the next two weeks” 

Aramis sighs “or they send out two different teams and they take our place”

“Right” Koko agrees 

“So” Aramis takes another sip of her coffee before locking eyes with Koko “what do we do?”

“I’m not leaving my girlfriend or Riley to die and as much as I don’t like Ethan I refuse to let him die ether” 

Aramis nods and turns her attention to the stove as she begins to fix the powdered eggs the church had handy.

“I’ll go wake nova and Amiree” Koko stands and makes her way up the stairs 

Aramis turns to watch her leave “ya know Koko I’ve always liked you …. even if we are on different teams” 

Koko isn’t sure what Aramis meant by that but they still smile anyways before disappearing up the stairs.   
When she goes back into the main sanctuary she finds Nova and Amiree sitting with their knees to their chest in a corner. Amiree is crying while nova sits beside him patting his back.

“What’s going on?” Koko asks as she approaches them   
“He is afraid “ nova says 

Koko sighs and sits down on the other side of Amiree.

“You my friend are strong , brave , smart and courageous… if anyone has the right to feel like they are above it , it’s you” she says softly nudging his shoulder with hers 

He looks up at Koko tears spilling from his eyes “honey and Riley”

Koko sighs and tries to push her own forming tears from falling “ I know. We will find them” 

_______________________________________

Nova , Amiree, Aramis and Koko stand outside the church and peer up into the sun.

“We are gonna go back to the checkpoint for last night. We have less than 2 days to find our friends , so no mistakes okay?” Koko looks at everyone directly 

“Okay” they all chime in

Koko nods her head before getting on her four wheeler and waiting for the others to do the same. 

They drive for about 20 minutes before reaching the checkpoint again. Immediately they all begin to search up and down for their friends. 

Koko bends down and stares into the water once again. It seemed lighter than it was last night but still somehow dark. They begin to undress themselves, never taking their eyes off the water. 

“Koko you aren’t gonna get in that are you?” Nova looks over at her 

“Why have a swimsuit under all your clothes if you aren’t gonna use it “ with out anything more she jumps in swimming towards the bottom 

A bright light blinds Koko and they squint their eyes under the water trying to stay focused. She wasn’t sure why she had gotten in the water only that she had a strong feeling that something was waiting for her at the bottom.

The fish all seemed to be afraid as they quickly swam away from the light. It was almost as if they’d rather die on land then survive in this water. 

Koko feels her throat closing up and makes an effort to get to the bottom faster. Once they reach the bottom the light is gone. They are surrounded by nothing other than water and darkness. She clinched her hands into tight fists and screams.   
The water doesn’t muffle her screams, it only enhances it, her throat filling up with salty water.   
She gags and chokes until she no longer feels the need too. She was breathing underwater. 

How was she breathing underwater?   
How was it possible for her to be able to do such a thing?   
Where did the light go?   
Why was she down here in the first place. 

“KOKO!” Muffled shouting was coming from the surface 

Instinctively she swims up towards the surface. Her legs and arms seemed stronger in the water and she took a mental note of this new occurrence.  
Once she reached the top she took a deep breath and let it out. 

Her surroundings weren’t the surroundings she was used to. Instead the grass was coated in a black goo that also covered the trees and buildings. The sky seemed to be a dark red and the sun? Well they couldn’t find the sun anywhere. 

As she stepped out the water she reached out for her weapon.

“Fuck no weapons right “ 

Koko grabs a tree branch and rock and begins to sharpen the stick enough for it to cause someone harm.

“You really don’t have to do that….. not yet” a woman’s voice comes from behind a tree 

“Who's there !! Show yourself !” Koko points her makeshift weapon out into the open 

Cautiously a woman steps out from behind the trees. She has blue skin and wings. Her teeth were sharp like shark teeth and her smile went all the way up her face.  
Koko blinks rapidly trying to make sense of what she is seeing. 

“What are you?”   
“I’m you…. in a sense” the woman smoothly replies as she brushes a fallen leaf off her shoulder blades 

“You …. are a monster. I am no monster “ Koko spits out pointing the weapon directly at the woman

“You wouldn’t kill me when I have your friends would you?” The woman smiles 

Her friends. How could she have forgotten about her friends. 

“Give them to me or I’ll kill you” 

The woman ponders over Kokos words for a moment and then chuckles.   
“I’m actually sure you would” she waves her hand as if swatting an imaginary bug “come on , before we get your friends there is something you need to see”

“No …. at least tell me your name first” Koko’s hand trembles as she clenches her makeshift weapon 

“Child I am mora…. I am the queen of the shadow people ….. but I won’t be for much longer ….” she looks Koko up and down “now come” 

Koko follows behind Mora, her fingers still tightly wrapped around her makeshift weapon.   
They walk into the forest covered with black goo and down a dark path. Sitting at the end of that path is a building bigger than any mansion Koko had ever seen with her own eyes.

“Welcome to the shadow kingdom” Mora closes her eyes and whispers something under her breath 

Suddenly Koko starts to see things as they really are. The mansion still sat in its same spot but around were houses of different sizes and colors. People with wings and animal ears walked amongst the streets. A small child sat in a corner playing with some sort of toy.

“But ….”  
“But the shadow people are evil …. is that what you were gonna say?” Mora let’s out w laugh and leads Koko into the mansion.

They walk past pictures that scaled the walls, but stopped in front of the biggest picture they had. There standing atleast 9 feet tall was a portrait that looked like Koko herself.

“It might seem insane now but you are our savior. The human / monster mix that will save not just our world but the humans world too “ Mora looks closely at Koko who is clearly panicked by this new information 

“You can only help us if you want too” mora says   
“No” Koko shakes her head “both of my parents were human ….. I’m not ….. I’m not like you!” She screams and her chest feels heavy as if someone were putting their full weight down on her.

“I can not make you see , I can only offer you what I know” Mora turns to one of the guards standing in the corner “please bring out miss Koko’s friends”

They do as they are told and leave the room only to come back with Ethan , Samira , honey and Riley. They were all blind folded and seemed to be in a deep daze.

“Honey!” Koko runs to her and through her arms around the girl “are you okay?” She begins to check her for any major harm.

“They are fine…. but humans coming here takes a toll out on them. They will only remember bits and pieces of their time here” mora pauses “in fact they might not remember anything at all” 

“Oh I’ll make sure they do” Koko says as she picks up honey and takes Riley’s hand. 

Ethan grabs Riley’s hand and then Samira’s with his only other free hand. Still In a daze they walk out of the mansion and back to the water.

“Baby talk to me “ Koko puts Honeys hair behind her ears “baby please “

“Koko?” Riley rubs his eyes as he adjusts to the light “where are we”

“Riley we have to go swimming now okay?” 

Riley only nods his head 

“Okay I’m gonna take you guys back one by one alright? Stay together and don’t move” 

Honey still In Koko’s arms burys her head in Koko’s chest.  
“It’s gonna be a little cold but I’m right here with you… hold your breath” 

Koko walks into the water with honey in hand and dives to the bottom. Faster than expected Koko comes up on the other side.

“KOKO? WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?” Aramis runs into the water taking honey from out of Koko’s arms 

“It’s a long story…. but I found our friends” 

She turns to jump back in the water but hears sniffling, she turns to see Amiree curled into a ball laying on his side sobbing uncontrollably.

“Amiree …..” she says softly   
“I …. I thought you left me too”   
“I would never” she says smiling softly 

She wanted to comfort him but she didn’t have the time. They weren’t sure what the people would do if she didn’t get everyone back.

Once again she is under the water and comes out on the other side. 

“Come on Riley. Nova you’re next” she picks Riley up and carry’s him under the water and out on the other side 

Quickly Aramis grabs him and takes him to dry land sitting him beside Honey who is just starting to regain full consciousness.

She does this until she’s gotten both Samira and Ethan out on the other side. On their side.

“If they were under the water how are they still alive?” Nova asks as they paced back and forth kicking dust up as they went 

“They weren’t underwater for long” Koko days staring into the water

How would her friends react when she told them what Mora had said? How would the enemy team react? Were the parents they remembered their actual parents? If what Mora said was true , that meant she was a monster.

Koko shuddered and closed her eyes. She couldn’t deal with this. Not now. Maybe not ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii sorry it took me weeks to update :( that’s how it be sometimes. But I’m excited to see this story develop and if you want to know what these characters look like you can go to my Twitter page @/korraskyoshi


	6. Explain away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has questions for Koko , but not everyone is willing to accept her answers

Koko sat in the churches kitchen her back pressed against the wall , their head hanging inbetween their legs. They weren’t completely coping with the information that they had been told. 

I’m one of them? But how? I was born to a mother and a father , a human mother and father. 

Their thoughts raced at a mile a minute. They were losing it piece by piece , bit by bit. 

A soft hand placed on their back scared Koko making them jump back almost three spaces. 

“I’m sorry” it was honey “but everyone wants to have a talk “ 

“A talk” Koko stepped closer to honey breaking the distance she had unintentionally made before “about?”

Honey looks away “they want to know how you got back ... how you made it back with us” 

Nova cleared her throat “it’s been long enough. You have to explain .... EVERYTHING “ 

Koko peered at the two groups now standing together. What was she to tell them? That she was a shadow person? That they had kidnapped her friends and foes to lure her in , in hopes of delivering a dreadful message she wished they would have just kept a secret. 

They stand to their feet shaken and unsure of what to tell those who stood before her.

“Something called me to the water .... it was like it knew me and wanted me to go in” Koko pauses looking over honeys face 

“It was a familiar voice.... I wish I could tell you how I knew this voice but I can’t pin it down. It was just like the night the shadow creature had attacked. I knew they were coming somehow and the water called out to me” 

“How does water call out to you” Ethan yells pacing around the kitchen 

“It just did” Koko spits back “when I jumped in the water their was a light”

“Let me guess it called you too?” Ethen rolled his eyes and in return was handed a quick slap in the face by Aramis. 

“Now is not the time” they said pressing their fingers to their temple “please continue Koko”

“Right like I was saying .... I got in the water and swam towards the light at the bottom. I thought ‘wow I’m not gonna make it to the bottom with out dying from lack of oxygen first” she lifted her hands in front of her face and stared at them 

“The fact is... no human could hold their breath for that long , that far under the water .... so when the moment came and I was sure I had rain out of air I stopped holding my breath and realized I was breathing under water” 

The two groups exchanged confused and pitiful looks. They were trying to calculate if Koko was out of her mind or not.

“When I came out on the other side I was in a world like no other. A woman ... type thing ... she knew my name.... said I was one of them... said I was a mix between a human and a shadow creature” they look up from their hands 

“They said that I would be the only thing standing between the distraction of the humans and the end of the shadow people” 

Honey and Riley plop down on the floor with a hard thud trying to make since if everything.

“I’ll get some coffee ready. Looks like we’re gonna need it” she says as she makes her way over to the counter to fix the coffee 

“I thought you were a human “ Ethan is more angry than the rest of the group “this whole time you’ve been a traitor right under our eyes”

He reaches for his weapon and draws it , point it directly at Koko’s throat.

“STOP IT” Aramis stands in front of the blade , the only thing stopping Ethan from out right muttering Koko in front of everyone , even their own teammates.

“We are all confused ... but if Koko is our last hope she is far better to us alive than they ever will be dead” honey says this and wraps her arms around Riley who blinks away his tears of fear.

Koko sighs. Honey was afraid of her , just like the others. 

They stand to their feet and clear their throat “I think it’s best if I leave. I’m no good to anyone here and I’ve got to figure all of this out. I’m sorry honey ..., I never meant to.... to make you afraid of me” 

Koko turns and continues up the stairs leaving behind their, teammates, foes and their girlfriend behind. 

______________________________

The lump in Honeys throat grew huge as she forced herself to swallow and breath. Koko had just left , with no thought to anyone else. It was dangerous out there, it was the only time of the year the shadow creatures could walk out in the day light unharmed and unafraid.  
Yes she had been scared out of her mind but she has absolutely no plans on leaving Koko behind or abandoning her to figure out things on their own.

But Koko had other plans saying sorry to honey as she left. She sounded broken , she was broken.

How could honey have been so stupid as to not stand by her girlfriends side no matter what she was. Honey felt like she had broken a vow, one she’d swore to keep. 

“Honey ... “ Riley tries to calm her down “we aren’t gonna abandon them but she does need time “ 

The tears from her eyes slowly dropped off her face and onto the cold marble kitchen floor.   
The words coming from her teammate were a nice thought but they didn’t really help her feel any better.

They had ambushed Koko after she had risked her life to save them. They grew angry and afraid and turned on Koko , and even if it was for just a minute it must have felt like years to them. 

“What do we do?” Amiree was the only one who had managed to keep his composure. 

He sat at the kitchen table swirling around the last few bits of his circle with a spoon.

“Koko is a shadow person ..., apparently they are shadow royalty of some sort” he pauses staring back down at his bowl of cereal and milk “so .... what do we do?”

Riley stands to his feet “well I’ll tell you what. I’m not gonna stand around and let some monster get the courage to kill my team” 

“But ....” Aramis opens her mouth to speak but is quickly silence

“These dummy’s will die trying to fight by Koko’s side and you know it” he looks at Aramis with hard eyes

“If you want to stay behind then do it but we are gonna finish the mission we were sent to do and go back home” with that he turns his back and quickly Nova & Samir’s follow behind , not minding the cruelty that their leader had chosen with no remorse what so ever. 

Aramis walks over to Riley , Honey and Amiree and bends down on their knees.

“I’m so sorry” she says “I’m sorry about everything before and I’m sorry about this... but there is no life waiting for us back ‘home’ if we do not complete this mission”

She offers a soft smile before standing up and walking up the stairs and out of the church.

“Well .... we are screwed. No Koko , no other team. Just three silly kids” Riley places his head between his knees and let’s out a loud sigh 

“Wrong. While you guys were missing Koko made me realize something.... we don’t fight because we want too , we fight because we have too” Amiree smiles to himself 

“we aren’t doomed. In fact we’ve always had the key to our salvation right in front of us”

Honey wipes her face free of the wet tears she hadn’t managed to stop since they had walked into the church.

“Okay. Let’s find everything that could be useful in a fight. If Koko doesn’t come back we have to find them. Okay?”

“Okay” Riley says 

“You got it temporary leader” Amiree laughs and hits honey softly before going off to do the job he had been given. 

“Stay safe Koko .... please “ honey whispers as she closes her eyes praying for just a moments rest


	7. All good things come to an end

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where will Koko go

The water called to Koko again as soon as they left the church and their old friends behind. So that’s where they went. Following the long river down to the spot where she had entered the other world.  
She took off her shoes and out her feet in the water.  
The sun was shining down on the water and it look relatively normal.  
The fish were there , it was a dark shade of blue and you could see the bottom. 

All in all it looked nothing like it had that night she had actually found it, and dove in to save her friends. But still they inched further into the water, clinching their toes as they thumped in the wet sand beneath their feet.  
They peered up at the sky shielding their eyes from the sun. A bird happily chirped while perched on a oak tree. For a second she wondered what it would be like to be a bird , free and always above ground when needed. 

They shook the thought away and turned their attention back to the water they were in. They had went in far enough for the water to be exactly at their shoulders. 

“Well Koko .... I guess it’s time to go home” 

She holds her breath even though she knows she doesn’t have to and swims to the bottom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey besties ! So sorry it took me so long to write ... depression does that sometimes! Anyways I’m gonna try and not let myself get too down so I can continue to write !

**Author's Note:**

> I took so long to add a new chapter and I’m so sorry it’s not that long but I’ll do better next time.


End file.
